


Party Poopers

by Awcey



Category: Free!
Genre: College, First Kiss, Fluff, LoveFreeWeek, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nanase Haruka & Tachibana Makoto Friendship, alcohol mention, haru has anxiety, haru is really awkward, kisumi gets really drunk and throws up a lot but i don't think it's explicit, makoto and rin are dirty-minded and embarrassing, post-season 3, side MakoRin, side asakisu, side reigisa - Freeform, sousuke is also really awkward, they go to a college house party, this is my first time posting on ao3 so sorry if i mess something up lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 07:27:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16237007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awcey/pseuds/Awcey
Summary: You never realize how you feel about someone until they're staring you in the face with a look that makes you think maybe it doesn't matter that you didn't get to watch that whale shark documentary after all.





	Party Poopers

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaahhh I'm yELLING! This is my first Free! fic and also my first time posting on ao3 so let's see how this goes. I had a lot of fun writing this and it turned out a lot better than I first thought.  
> I'm also posting this for Love Free! Week, Day 2, Prompt: When did everything change?  
> I hope y'all enjoy!

  “What do you mean I need to get out more?” Haru’s eyebrows scrunched together ever so slightly as he stared at his three closest friends standing in front of him.

  “You know exactly what we mean, Haru-chan!” Nagisa insisted, “All you ever do is stay home.”

  “That’s not true,” Haru said lowly.

  “Going for coffee with Makoto doesn’t count,” Rei retorted, pushing up his glasses as if to emphasize his point.

  “Why not?” Haru looked over to Makoto, who was being uncharacteristically quiet, “Speaking of which, why do  _ you _ want to go to this party?”

  “A-ah well,” the man in question chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his neck, “Rin wants me to come.”

  Haru sighed with a weight that didn’t give in to defeat, but still showed how ticked he was. Did the three of them seriously expect Haru to enjoy going to a party? Not only would it be loud and obnoxious, but he would be going as a fifth wheel. That was not exactly his idea of a good time.

  “I don’t want to,” Haru said bluntly.

  “But Haru-chan,” Nagisa whined, “a bunch of people are going to be there! Maybe you’ll meet someone!”

  Haru nearly choked on his own spit, “THAT’S what this is about?”

  “Not entirely!” Makoto tried to reassure him, giving Nagisa a side-eye as he spoke.

  “Oh come on, when was the last time Haru-chan went on a date?” Nagisa looked back at Makoto and crossed his arms.

  “I don’t  _ go _ on dates, Nagisa,” Haru said as if it was obvious, “and I don’t need to meet someone.”

  “It doesn’t necessarily have to be for that purpose,” Rei explained, “but it might be a good opportunity.”

  “I’m not going to go to a college party just so I can end up standing in the corner by myself,” Haru said, very obviously getting tired of this useless conversation.

  Why did his friends have to be so troublesome?

  “If you don’t start enjoying yourself within thirty minutes, then you can leave,” Makoto offered, trying to plea with him, “Just please come?”

  Haru watched as the three of them put their hands together in a praying gesture, giving him their best puppy dog eyes. He hated it when they did that.

  “Fine,” Haru huffed.

  “YAAAAYYY!” Nagisa cheered, shooting his arms up in victory.

  Makoto gave Haru a thankful smile, and Rei simply nodded triumphantly.

  Nagisa started chattering away about party-related things that Haru didn’t need to hear. He was already regretting his decision. Being a fifth wheel at a college party was not what he had originally planned on doing that Friday night. He was going to make popcorn and watch a documentary about whale sharks, but he guessed that would have to wait.

  “Great so Makoto will pick you up tomorrow at 8PM okay?” Nagisa said, looking at Haru intently.

  He must’ve realized that Haru hadn’t been paying attention to anything that the overly-excited blonde was blabbering about before.

  “Okay,” Haru agreed, much to his own disdain.

  “Perfect,” Rei smiled, “it’s starting to get late, so we will see you tomorrow, Haruka-senpai.”

  “Awh, we’re leaving already?” Nagisa pouted, grabbing hold of Rei’s arm and resting his chin on the taller man’s shoulder.

  “Yes, Nagisa-kun,” Rei said matter-of-factly, “it’s important to get a good night’s rest before one goes to a party.”

  Haru didn’t know how Rei had so easily developed a resistance to Nagisa’s uncanny ability to get what he wanted. Maybe there was a book about the subject. Maybe it was just because they were dating.

  “You’re no fun, Rei-chan,” Nagisa said in defeat, “I guess we’ll see you tomorrow, Haru-chan, Mako-chan.” 

  Makoto smiled warmly at the couple and said, “See you two tomorrow.”

  “Yeah,” Haru said, riding the wave that Makoto had already created.

  The two best friends watched as Nagisa and Rei gathered their things and headed out the door of Haru’s small apartment, saying one last goodbye before they did so. There was a long moment of silence afterwards. Makoto and Haru didn’t always need to speak to communicate, and the way that Makoto’s eyebrows turned upwards told Haru all that he needed to know. Makoto was worried. Granted he was always worried, but there were certain times when it was about something specific. This was one of those times.

  Normally Haru would just tell Makoto not to worry because he knew he’d be okay if he wasn’t left alone. Then Makoto would understand and everything would be fine. He couldn’t do that this time because now he would have to be left alone. Makoto was going to be at the party as Rin’s date, and Haru didn’t want to mess that up by having a panic attack in the middle of the crowd, causing Makoto to go into full on protector mode. If that happened, Makoto would end up leaving the party early to take Haru home. Then his date would be ruined. The thought made Haru feel like he was going to throw up.

  “You don’t have to worry about me,” Haru said, not looking Makoto in the eyes.

  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Makoto asked.

  Haru could practically feel Makoto’s stare piercing right through his soul. He could never hide the truth from him.

  “I’ll end up leaving in thirty minutes anyways,” Haru reassured, “you should just focus on your date.”

  “Is thirty minutes enough to incite a panic attack?”

  “I’m not going to have a panic attack.”

  “Will you remember to take your meds?”

  “Of course I will,” Haru said obviously, finally meeting Makoto’s unrelenting gaze.

  An invisible battle ensued, the two sides pouring every ounce of assurance that they were right into a simple look of the eyes. If they were in public, bystanders would probably assume that the two were having an intense staring contest. It might as well have been that, because eventually Makoto relented and sighed, slowly blinking as he did so. 

  “Just promise me you’ll come to me for help if you need it, okay?” Makoto asked helplessly.

  “Okay,” Haru lied.

  They both knew that Haru wasn’t about to ruin Makoto’s love life just because crazy parties made him feel claustrophobic.

  “You won’t be hurting my relationship with Rin if you do, you know,” Makoto said plainly, voicing Haru’s fears.

  Haru had been hoping that they wouldn’t have to talk about this. Why did Makoto have to start getting better at facing their issues head on?

  “Yes I would,” Haru grumbled, looking away again.

  “What makes you think that?”

  “You two only just started going on dates, and you don’t even know if you’re going to make it official yet. I know how much this means to you, how much  _ he _ means to you. If you end up having to leave the date because of me, it could mess everything up. I don’t want to be responsible for that.”

  “It won’t mess everything up. Rin knows you’re my best friend, I’m sure he’d understand.”

  “He might, but he’d also probably be disappointed.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Why are we even talking about this?” Haru said, irritated, “Nothing has even happened yet.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Makoto laughed lightly, “I just wanted to make sure you’d be alright.”

  “I will,” Haru said, not quite believing himself.

* * *

 

  The next day there was only so much Haru could do to prepare himself for his doom. He tried watching the documentary that he had originally planned on watching that night, but instead he ended up staring at the clock and counting down the minutes to 8PM. He’d have to learn about whale sharks next Friday.

  Soon enough, a polite knock sounded from his front door and Haru opened it to reveal Makoto, wearing his usual red flannel. A.k.a. the shirt that Rin said was his favorite. The unnecessary in-depth description of how much he loved that shirt would be burned into the back of Haru’s mind for the rest of his life. The only thing that had made it bearable was Rin’s embarrassed yelling after Haru pointed out that he had been gushing.

  “Are you ready to go?” Makoto asked, unable to hide the beat in his voice.

_ Gee, someone’s excited, _ Haru thought to himself, subconsciously smiling from Makoto’s infectious joy.

  “Yeah,” Haru said, putting on his boots and jacket.

  Since he was only planning on being there for thirty minutes, he’d rather not have his feet get cold from going outside instead of thinking he’d get hot from all the body heat cramped in the house that they were going to.

  “Did you take your meds?” Makoto inquired.

  “Yes,” Haru said with slight annoyance.

  Makoto knew that Haru never forgot to take his anxiety medication, and yet he still always bothered to ask. Sometimes Haru appreciated the sentiment. Other times it just didn’t feel like it was necessary.

  “Alrighty then, let’s go,” Makoto smiled, ignoring the slightly pained look on Haru’s face.

  As the two of them left Haru’s building, Haru pulled his jacket tighter around himself, trying to block out the bitter cold air that nipped at his skin.

  “What kind of person has a college house party in the middle of winter?” he mumbled to himself.

  Makoto simply chuckled at Haru’s remark while they hopped into his car.

  “Here, take my phone,” Makoto said, handing Haru the orange device, “I’ve already put the address in my gps so you can just tell me what each step is.”

  “Right,” said Haru.

  He still wasn’t used to Makoto driving. Normally Haru would be the one driving, but now that Makoto had his license he took every opportunity to drive. Despite the fear he had of it, Makoto wanted to build up as much experience as possible so that he could become a better driver. That meant that Haru always had to be his navigator.

  As the duo drove across town, Haru was interrupted in his reading of the gps by a big, blonde icon that popped up on the screen and a hardcore rock ringtone.

  “What is it, Nagisa?” Haru asked after answering the call and setting it to speaker mode.

  Loud hip-hop music blared in the background as Nagisa yelled from the other side of the line, “Where are you guys? The party is already getting crazy!”

  Haru’s stomach dropped and he looked to Makoto to give the response for him.

  “We should almost be there,” Makoto said slightly loudly.

  “Hurry up! People are starting to take shots!” Nagisa yelled back, as if the idea of alcohol would make them get there any faster.

  Haru was about to make a sassy remark when they heard muffled noises of the phone being taken out of Nagisa’s hand and a new voice spoke, “Oi, are you almost here? I’m waiting to dance with you but if a Britney song comes on I’m starting without you. Although if you don’t mind grinding with me then I don’t mind waiting.”

  Haru looked away from Makoto to stifle his snort, but he didn’t have to be looking at him to know that Makoto was blushing to the ears.

  “R-Rin!” Makoto chided, “You’re on speaker phone right now! Haru can hear you!”

  “HAH?” the noises that ensued afterwards were incomprehensible, but both Haru and Makoto knew that Rin was screaming at Nagisa and waving the phone around wildly, probably scolding him for not telling him that Makoto wasn’t the only one listening on the other side of the phone.

  Haru had a feeling that the cherry red color currently on Makoto’s face matched the color of his date’s face at that moment. Those two weenies were made for each other.

  Eventually the phone was taken once again, and a third voice piped up, “You might want to park a couple of blocks away, Makoto-senpai. There’s a ton of cars around and I don’t think you’ll be able to find a close spot.”

  “Thanks, Rei,” Makoto said, his voice still strained from embarrassment.

  “We’ll be waiting in the living room,” Rei said, “It’s to the right from the front entrance.”

  “See you soon,” Haru said before hanging up so that he could go back to navigating.

  The lack of words spoken afterwards felt like it lasted for an eternity. Haru was practically melting in the heat that radiated from poor Makoto’s face. Rin was a known gay disaster, so hearing something of that nature come out of his mouth was a rare occurrence and as hilarious as it was, Haru knew that it left Makoto dying inside. Even so, he couldn’t help himself.

  “So,” Haru started carefully, “Rin wants to grind-”

  “Do NOT start,” Makoto said somewhat harshly.

  “I’m just sayin’,” Haru said innocently, “sounds like things are going well for you two if he managed to muster up the courage to say something like that to you.”

  Haru watched Makoto’s grip on the steering wheel tighten as he let out a long sigh, “Things are going great, but that was…”

  His voice trailed off and Haru had to search his wandering eyes for the rest of the sentence.

_ Nothing new, _ was the conclusion he came to.

  Disgusting. He looked back at the gps on Makoto’s phone and felt a wave of relief to see that they were close by. The increasing amount of cars parked on the curb should’ve given him that hint but he hadn’t been paying attention to it until then.

  Happy to get away from the subject of Makoto and Rin’s inappropriate activities, he looked up at Makoto and said, “We should park somewhere around here.”

  “Looks like a perfect spot,” Makoto said, pulling in front of a black jeep.

  When the two of them finally reached the front of the house, Haru’s heart fell through his stomach looking up at it. Lights were flashing through some of the windows, and nearly every beat and lyric of the music was comprehensible from the outside. He was convinced that the only reason the neighbors hadn’t complained to the police already was because they were in a fancier neighborhood where the houses were set further apart from one another.

  “You sure you’ll be okay?” Makoto asked, stopping with him on the sidewalk.

  “Let’s just get this over with,” Haru said dismally.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked ahead of Makoto to the large, imposing front doors. Haru ignored Makoto’s sigh as he walked up next to him and pressed the doorbell.

  The door immediately swung open and a girl who neither of them knew smiled up at them, “Come on in, the party has already started!”

  Walking into the foyer, Haru wasn’t sure what he was more impressed by: the fancy spiral staircase and glittering chandelier in front of them, or the insane amount of people that were already very obviously drunk.

  “I can take your jackets to the coat room!” the girl yelled to them over the amalgamation of noises that surrounded them.

  “Thank you!” Makoto replied, handing her his green coat that was nearly as big as she was.

  She looked to Haru but he dismissed her with a shake of his head, “I’m good, thanks!”

  “Okay, have fun!” she shot them one last smile and disappeared into the crowd with Makoto’s coat.

  Makoto looked down at Haru and pointed towards the living room to their right, “Rei said they would be over there!”

  As they maneuvered their way through the crowd, Haru curled in on himself. He didn’t like bumping into people but it was almost impossible not to in this crazy environment. How did Makoto, a very large person, handle this kind of thing? The living room was surprisingly more calm than the foyer. The music was still loud but people were relaxing and talking to each other casually.

  “Mako-chan! Haru-chan!” a familiar voice came from across the room.

  The two of them looked over to see a brightly smiling Nagisa waving at them from a loveseat in which he was sitting in Rei’s lap, and Rin sitting next to them. Rin turned to look at them and absolutely beamed at the sight of Makoto. Haru felt like he could practically sense Makoto’s heartbeat pick up next to him.

  “Hey guys!” Rin grinned at them when they approached and stood up to give Makoto a quick kiss on the cheek.

  Haru had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes at the return of Makoto’s blush. As much as they had supposedly already done, Makoto was still as embarrassed as ever.

  “Haru-chan, why are you still wearing your jacket?” Nagisa frowned at him.

  “I don’t plan on being here for very long.”

  “Awh that’s lame!” Nagisa complained.

  “Yeah, you should stick around, Haru!” Rin urged.

  “It would be a good experience,” Rei agreed.

  Haru groaned, “I’m not going to have this conversation a second time.”

  Just as Nagisa was about to say more, their argument was interrupted by an unexpected appearance by two more of the gang’s friends. One of whom was completely blasted, hanging off of the taller man’s shoulder. 

  “Oi, someone help me out with taking this lightweight to the bathroom,” Sousuke said grumpily.

  “I… am nOBT a lighbtwet,” Kisumi proclaimed, lazily lifting a finger in the air and nearly stumbling over Sousuke’s feet.

  “Oh man, Kisumi,” Rin snickered, “What did you do?”

  “Is Asahi not here?” Makoto asked, his eyebrows turning up in their usual way.

  “He’s late,” Sousuke glared, “and this idiot decided it was a good idea to get wasted before he gets here.”

  Haru was grateful for the convenient interruption, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about Sousuke being the one to create it. Nobody had told him that not only would Kisumi and Asahi be at the party, but Sousuke would as well. A fellow extra wheel. The only time that he and Haru had gotten along was when they teamed up in the most insane water gun fight in the history of water gun fights, and that was only because they had a common goal and were under pressure. Haru had gotten better at making up with old friends, but becoming friends with someone he used to have beef with was not something he knew how to do, even if they had started calling each other by their first names. It had seemed too easy during the water gun fight, but after Sousuke smiled at Haru and called him by his first name for the first time Haru could never seem to bring himself to even try to talk to the guy. He wasn’t sure why, but just the thought made him nervous. Had it been thirty minutes yet? He was ready to leave now.

  “Well, I can help you out if you want,” Makoto offered.

  Haru was the only one who caught the disappointed look on Rin’s face that left as fast as it came.

  “Ah, thank-”

  “No,” Haru interrupted, surprising himself more than anyone.

  They all turned to look at him and he realized he should probably say more.

  “I’ll do it,” Haru mustered.

  “Are you sure?” Makoto asked, the concern showing plainly on his face.

  “Yeah, you go have fun,” Haru insisted, “I can handle it.”

  “Okay,” Makoto nodded.

  Haru walked past them to put Kisumi’s free arm over his shoulders, and Rin mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ to him as he did. He totally owed Haru for this, especially considering he wasn’t sure he  _ could _ handle it.

  “Where’s the bathroom?” Sousuke looked at Rin.

  “I think there’s one in the next hallway.”

  “Got it, catch up with you later.”

  The unlikely duo practically dragged Kisumi away and down the hall, all the while Haru couldn’t stop wondering why he was still here. Miraculously, the bathroom was empty. Either the gods had blessed them with an open bathroom or Kisumi was the first person there who was ready to start puking.

  “Alright, here we go,” Sousuke said to Kisumi as they helped him kneel down in front of the toilet bowl.

  Haru sat down on the edge of the bath, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. He didn’t need to give Sousuke a reason to go get Makoto so he would stop internally freaking out. He couldn’t figure out what it was about being around Sousuke that made his insides twist in a way he had never experienced before, and it was bothering him to the extent to which he might as well have just left at that moment. Yet he didn't leave. Why wasn’t he leaving?

  “You got it, buddy,” Sousuke said, sitting down in front of the sink and patting Kisumi’s back as he hurled into the toilet.

  Haru nearly cringed at the sound, “Just how much did he drink?”

  Sousuke sighed heavily and looked at the wall in front of him, “I don’t even know, a few beers maybe?”

  “He really is a lightweight, huh,” Haru said evidently.

  “Yep.”

  The silence that ensued gnawed at Haru’s brain and was only broken by the strawberry blonde’s retching and the muffled sound of music playing from the next room. Haru wanted to say something, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He racked his mind for an answer, but all he could think about was how much he wished he was at home eating popcorn and watching that whale shark documentary.

  “Thanks for helping me out with this, by the way,” Sousuke said offhandedly, breaking the tension a bit.

  Haru silently thanked him for doing what he couldn’t, “Yeah, I didn’t want Makoto to do it since he’s supposed to be on a date right now.”

  “Speaking of which, why haven’t those two declared themselves boyfriends yet?” Sousuke asked, a tiny smirk peeking through his naturally stoic face.

  “I don’t know, I think they’re afraid of being in a long-distance relationship.”

  “That’s reasonable, but I’d say it’s inevitable at this point.”

  “Yeah, earlier on our way here Rin told Makoto he wants to grind with him on the dance floor while he was on speaker phone.”

  That got a snort out of Sousuke, “He said that? Oh man, he really does have it bad.”

  “Makoto’s expression told me they’ve done more than that,” Haru said, reveling in Sousuke’s reaction.

  Now Sousuke was full on laughing, “They’re practically official already then!”

  The inside of Haru’s chest felt like it was on fire. A fire that was lit by Sousuke’s melodious laughter. Laughter caused by Haru. The warmth it brought to him felt… good, and he wanted more of it. The thought made his head spin.

  “When does Rin go back to Australia anyways?” Haru asked, unable to think of anything else clever to say.

  “He’s got a couple of weeks left,” Sousuke answered, his smile falling away as he continued to stare at the wall.

  That was not what Haru was aiming for.

  “Makoto’s really going to miss him, I can already tell,” Haru said delicately, searching Sousuke’s face for what he did wrong.

  “Tch, he’s not the only one,” Sousuke griped in return, “I’ve had a hard enough time as it is, living without my best friend around.”

  There it was, laid out in front of him.

  “At least you’ve got the rest of us as your friends, right?” Haru asked, not realizing what he was insinuating.

  Sousuke finally turned his head, looking him in the eye for the first time that night and causing his heart to skip a beat, “Are  _ we _ friends, Haru?”

  The question hung between them in a moment of uncertainty when the only thing that Haru was sure of was that the intensity of Sousuke’s eyes reminded him of the merciless ocean waves and he was suddenly riddled with the fear of drowning.

  Before Haru could breathe, a wheezing redhead swung open the door, “Kisumi?”

  Sousuke turned away to look up at Asahi and Haru felt his breath leave him with a force that made him feel like he was going to fall backwards into the tub.

  “It’s about time!” Sousuke reprimanded Asahi and stood up, “You should’ve been here to monitor your boyfriend’s alcohol intake.”

  “It’s not my fault my sister expected me to babysit for her!” Asahi countered, taking Sousuke’s place kneeling next to Kisumi and his voice became much softer, “Are you okay?”

  Kisumi grinned lopsidedly and said, “I am nhow thbat you’re here.”

  “OOF,” Asahi winced and turned his head away, “Your breath is disgusting.”

  Kisumi giggled into the toilet in response.

  “I’m gonna head back to the party, see you later,” Sousuke said, very clearly not looking at Haru.

  “Yeah thanks,” Asahi said dismissively, only paying attention to his currently suffering boyfriend.

  Haru watched helplessly as Sousuke disappeared from the room and for some reason the edge of the bathtub was no longer a comfortable place to sit. He wanted to go after the brunette, to confront the question he had so effortlessly forced upon him, but he didn’t even know the answer. He wanted to say yes, but was that really true? Were they really friends? Perhaps their association with the same group of people wasn’t enough to earn them that title, and yet somehow Haru felt as though all he needed to obtain that was right in front of him, but it was just barely out of reach. He didn’t even know what it was, but every fiber of his being was telling him to take a leap of faith to close the distance.

  “Are you okay, Haru?” Asahi quirked an eyebrow at him, finally looking away from Kisumi.

  “Uh, yeah, I gotta go,” Haru said quickly.

  He got up from the edge of the tub and ignored Asahi’s confused voice calling after him as he weaved his way down the now crowded hallway. When he reached the end he came upon the gigantic room where everyone was dancing wildly and the music vibrated the floor. His eyes searched the crowd and stopped to look at Makoto and Rin who, instead of grinding, were holding hands and twisting like a couple of dorks. Rin grinned from ear to ear as Makoto laughed delightedly at their own silliness.

_ At least those two are having fun, _ Haru thought.

  Looking at his phone, he realized that it was about time for him to leave. Thirty minutes couldn’t have gone by fast enough, but as he looked up again his eye caught the movement of a very tall man slipping out through the back door. It was cold enough outside for nobody to be partying back there, so why was he going that way?

  Haru looked back and forth from the way that would lead him back to front entrance and to the back door. He could leave so easily. Makoto’s keys were in his pocket and he could just drive home and make that fucking popcorn. Unfortunately, his subconscious had other plans for him.

  Haru couldn’t explain himself as he worked his way through the crowd, taking a route where Makoto and Rin couldn’t see him. He had no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it, but he was already committing himself to it.

  When he made it to the small back door, he took a quick breath before turning the knob and stepping into the bitter air.

_ Leap of faith, _ he reminded himself.

  The tall figure that he had followed was leaning against the porch railing with his elbows, gazing out into the night that was still, aside from the party behind them of course. The only light cast upon them was shining through the curtains of the windows, flashing every now and then.

  Haru stood by the door, simply staring at the man in front of him. He had been so determined to walk out there that once he had he didn’t know what to do next. He didn’t think he’d get this far.

  Either Sousuke was ignoring him or he hadn’t even noticed him yet, since he did nothing to acknowledge Haru’s presence and continued to stare into the darkness.

_ Leap of faith. _

__ “I don’t know,” was all he could think to say.

  “Huh?” Sousuke turned his head to frown at him, “What are you talking about?”

  Haru curled his hands into fists at his sides and took a breath that he could see in the freezing air, “You asked if we are friends.”

  Sousuke’s frown slowly turned into a look of knowing, and if Haru knew any better, disappointment.

  “Ah,” was his only reply, and he turned his head back to continue his previous activity.

  Haru stood there for another quiet moment, wondering why his feet weren’t already taking him back to Makoto’s car.

  “What’re you doing out here?” he asked, deciding to continue conversation instead of leaving.

  “Taking a breather,” Sousuke said simply, “I’ve never liked parties of this nature.”

  “Really?” Haru asked in disbelief.

  Despite his awkward nature, Sousuke always seemed like the type to enjoy this type of thing. Maybe it was just because of his dudebro vibes.

  “Yeah,” Sousuke chuckled lightly, “the only reason I’m here is because Rin begged me to come. I don’t see the point, since I’m just an extra wheel in this situation.”

  “That’s what Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei did to me.”

  “Oh yeah? Honestly I pegged you as the type to enjoy this kind of thing.”

  “Not at all.”

  “Huh.”

  Another moment of nothingness. Neither of them had moved an inch, but Haru’s feet were begging him to get closer.

_ Leap of faith. _

  “Mind if I join you?”

  Sousuke looked at him once again, curiously this time, “I mean, you’re kind of already here.”

  “I meant in your staring competition with the neighborhood,” Haru remarked, in a much more sassy tone than he anticipated.

  The smile from when Sousuke first called him by his first name returned. It was helpless and endearing all at once. Haru wanted nothing more than for it to stay.

  “Sure.”

  His feet rejoiced with the permission to move, and they took him to a spot against the railing with just enough space between him and Sousuke to not make it more awkward than things already were. Haru crossed his arms, huddling himself against the air that threatened to freeze his skin. He figured that someone like Sousuke probably generated enough body heat to keep warm out there.

  The two of them looked out into the night, and Haru realized what was so appealing about it. Everything was still and the only movement that could be seen came from small animals every now and then. The only thing that would make it more serene would be if someone turned off the continuously bumping music coming from the house.

_ Leap of faith. _

  “Can we-“

  “You know-“

  The pair stopped to look at each other with slightly wide eyes and Haru could feel his heart leap out of his chest at the sight of a slight blush dashed across Sousuke’s cheeks. He wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or whatever, but it was there and Haru noticed even in the low light.

  Then Sousuke burst into a quick fit of laughter and Haru furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at him.

  “You go first,” Sousuke said, his grin not quite disappearing.

  Haru paused for a moment, unable to speak while looking at him.

  He returned his gaze to the neighborhood and swallowed before speaking, “Can we be friends?”

_ Leap of faith. _

  Haru gathered the rest of his courage to look back at Sousuke. The grin disappeared. It was replaced with a slightly agape jaw, and a pair of raised eyebrows. When their eyes met, Haru could feel the floor fall from beneath him, and he had never felt more weightless.

  Then the leap was over, and he found himself hanging from the edge of the other side.

  “You know,” Sousuke began, turning to look down at the grass beneath the railing, “I’ve been waiting for you to say something along those lines.”

  As if pulled by some invisible force, Haru was lifted up by his chest to stand on the edge.

  “What do you mean?”

  Sousuke looked startled by the question, as if he expected him to say something different, “Well, I mean I’ve thought about being friends with you for awhile, I just thought you should be the one to initiate it.”

  “If you wanted to be friends with me, why didn’t you just say so?” Haru frowned, not understanding.

  “I figured you wouldn’t accept it if it was me, since I’ve been kind of an asshole to you before. Which I am sorry for, by the way.”

  “That’s stupid.”

  Sousuke chuckled at Haru’s blunt remark, “I guess it is, huh?”

  “I accept your apology, though.”

  “That’s good, I’m glad.”

  “What were you going to say earlier?”

  “Ah, it feels silly now,” Sousuke said, absently rubbing the back of his neck.

  Haru’s eyes were drawn to the motion, “Why?”

  “It’s not relevant at this point.”

  “It is to me.”

  When Sousuke looked back up to meet his gaze, Haru realized that throughout their conversation they’d naturally come closer together. If he moved an inch their upper arms would be touching. He could practically feel the warmth radiating from the larger man, and the smell of his mint breath filled Haru’s senses. He watched Sousuke’s eyelids become heavier as his own did the same.

  Their arms were touching.

  The sound of Sousuke swallowing was louder than the background music that was fading to gray, “Um, can I-”

  “Yes.”

  The distance separating them became nonexistent and Haru basked in the warmth shared between their lips. It was soft and light, awakening something in him that he’d never felt before. He finally understood why he’d been so nervous before. When Sousuke pulled away, Haru felt a pang in his chest.

_ Come back. _

  “So,” Sousuke gulped, the blush on his cheeks turning redder, “that happened.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you… like it?”

  “I don’t know, maybe I’ll find out if you do it again.”

  Sousuke snorted, “You’re cute, Haru.”

  “Shut up,” he muttered, grabbing the brunette by the collar of his jacket and pulling him back down into a deeper, longer kiss.

  Haru thought that maybe coming to this party wasn’t such a bad idea after all.


End file.
